On that note, I wrote to the Foreign Minister of Singapore, Mr George Yeo, and asked him if he has a view on the upcoming elections in Burma, considering the fact that the ruling junta is not allowing foreign journalists or outside observers for the elections to be held on 7 November 2010.

Mr Yeo replied to me that the “fact that there are elections is a major step forward, however imperfect”. He further added that the ASEAN embassy officials will be able to observe the election process: and that they could visit whichever polling station they wish. He said that Singapore will coordinate within ASEAN to be observers of the election in Burma.

The Indonesian Foreign Minister too has spoken up against the upcoming election in Burma when he said “there is a perception of a credibility deficit”. The Foreign Minister of Singapore however, seems to be singing a different tune from his counterparts in ASEAN.

If indeed ASEAN is not only toothless, but also lacks a sharp tongue, what good would it do if it observes the election in Myanmar/Burma?

How can the Burmese election be inclusive, participatory and a “major step forward”, when Burma has more than 2000 political prisoners (including Aung San Suu Kyi) in detention and denied participation in the upcoming election?

The campaign is an excellent means to show our concern for the people of Burma. A means to ask the government of Singapore to join the international community in demanding that the military junta in Burma release all political prisoners, allow international United Nations observers watch over the election process, and repeal all laws and regulations which interfere with free and fair election.

Through this campaign we the people of Singapore, can say to our government that we want our government to support the call made by the United Nations to establish a United Nations Commission of Inquiry into international crimes in Burma.

Together, our collective action may ensure that the upcoming election in Burma becomes a part (even if it is just a very tiny part) of the solution to the problems in Burma, and not create more troubles ahead.

"Where were the Farid Khans and the Salleh Maricans? Why didn't they come?... Because they knew that in an open election - all things being equal - a non-Chinese candidate would have no chance."
Having contested an election as a minority candidate, I am disturbed enough by his comments to write this note. Let me explain why.

Simple answer for PM Lee

I declined invitations to contest the 2011 General Election. This was because I was at a different stage of my life. My children were much younger, I had just come back from the USA a few years before and had to re-establish my career here. I did not know if I had the temperament for public life. These were just some of the reasons why I chose to decline those invitations.

Even in 2011, the pool of people who could qualify for the Presidential race was small.…

The Ministry of Communication and Information (MCI) has taken out a Facebook ad titled, 'Get real about fake news', The ad is taken out after the PAP-controlled Parliament passed the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation (POFMA) Bill, with all opposition Members of Parliament voting against the Bill.

The ad draws attention to the viral hoax that Punggol Waterway Terraces had collapsed. The ad said "the hoax triggered anxiety amongst the residents", and urged Singaporeans to "say no to fake news".

It is unfortunate that a website published such an unverified report, and it is certainly unacceptable that it caused much anxiety to the residents of the development (and to all Singaporeans). The publishers and the editors of the website acted irresponsibly in posting the report of the 'collapse' without proper verification, and no one should make any excuses for them for this.

Lamenting the lack of concentration of brilliance in Singapore, PM Lee Hsien Loong in a IPS dialogue held recently said that he believed in having a certain natural aristocracy in the system (a form of elitism where people are respected because they have earned that) for without that society will lose out. (Transcript of Speech here: http://bit.ly/1JOtiYP)

His views are of course not new and he had articulated them in another Speech in the year 2007, expressing why he believed that Singapore does not have enough talent for two A-Teams (link: http://bit.ly/1NFyA9s).

I am not sure if this view is healthy for Singapore. Why I say that? Let me quote a few persons and articles before I make my point.